Letter-box



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. F. ASKAM. LETTER BOX.

No. 476,971. Patented June 14, 1892.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2, W. P. ASKAM.

LETTER BOX.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM F. ASKAM, OF SHELTON, CONNECTICUT.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,971, dated June 14, 1892.

Application filed March '7, 1892. Serial No. 424,039- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM FpASKAM, of Shelton, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Letter-Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of referen co marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a View of the box in front elevation; Fig. 2, a similar side view thereof; Fig. 3, abroken view of the box in vertical transverse section showing its sliding door closed an d its mail-receiver reversed; Fig. 4, a similar View showing the door open and the mail-receiver inverted for the reception of mail-matter; Fig. 5, a broken View of the box in vertical longitudinal section on the line a b of Fig. 3; Fig. 6, a broken view showing one of the gearwheels and one of the racks of the sliding door.

My invention relates to an improvement in letter-boxes, the object being to produce a simple, durable, and convenient device, particularly constructed to avoid the surreptitious abstraction of letters from it.

\Vith these ends in view my invention consists in a letter-box having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

The body A of the box may be of any approved construction, being constructed, as

herein shown, with a door a at its lower end and supported upon feet B. It is provided at its upper end with an arched hood or cap C, which may be made integral with it, but is preferably made independent of and attached to it. The said cap is constructed with a horizontal opening C, which is made sufficiently large to admit through it any mail-matter which it may ever be desired to introduce into the box. The stiid opening is normally closed by means of a sliding door D, approximately corresponding in length to the width of the cap or hood and longitudinally bowed in conformity with the curvature thereof, the said door running in segmeptal grooves d, (see Fig. 5,) formed in the end walls of the hood. Curved racks E E, attached to the inner face of the said door near the respective ends thereof, are meshed into by gear-wheels F F, respectively, j ournaled in bearings F F, fastened to the end walls of the body of the box. These gear-wheels in turn mesh, respectively, into smaller gear-wheels G" G, secured to the skeleton axles G G of the n1ailreceiver 1, the said axles being mounted in bearings H H, secured to the end walls of the body of the box, and also in steps 1-1 H, proj ecting inward from the end walls of the hood thereof. The said mail-receiver is cylindrical in form and adapted in size to fit snugly within the hood and door, being considerably shorter than the latter to permit it to be interposed between the gear-wheels mentioned. It is constructed Witha peripheral opening 1, extending throughout its length, and adapting it to receive mail from the opening in the hood when the two openings are aligned. As herein shown, I have provided it with a rectangular lining or pocket 1 which stiffens it and prevents the retention of any mail-matter in it after it has been turned into its inverted position, as shown by Fig. 3 of the drawings, the side walls of the said pocket be ing in line with the edges of its opening I. The outer edge of the sliding door is furnished with a knob J, which projects through the opening D in the hood, and serves at once for a handle for the operation of the door and as a stop for limiting the sliding movement thereof. The gear-wheels F andG are relatively proportioned, so that the movement of the door through that portion of a circle rep resented by the width of the opening D in the hood will be sufficient to rotate the mailreceiver in inverting it to bring its pocket into line with the said opening and in restor ing it to its normal position, in which its opening faces downward and is entirely within the body of the box.

It will be perceived that by employing a cylindrical mail-receiver adapted in size to fit snugly within the hood and sliding door there is at no time during the revolution of the mail-receiver anyspaee left open which might be utilized in gaining entrance into the box between the edges of the opening D and the receiver.

Itis apparent that in carrying out my invention the details of construction shown and described may be varied. Thus I might mm ploy more than two gear-wheels at each end of the hood for connecting the sliding door thereof with the rotatable mail-receiver, and I may devise other ways than those shown for mounting the said door and receiver. I would,

therefore, have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact form herein represented, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

"Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a letter-box, the combination, with a body having an arched hood or cap constructed with a horizontal mail-openin g, of a sliding door longitudinally bowed to conform to the shape of the hood, supported at its ends within the same, and provided at each end with a segmental rack, a rotatable cylindrical mailreceiver fitting snugly within the hood and door and having a peripheral opening which it presents to the mail-opening in the head, and gearing between the racks of the door and the said mail-receiver, whereby the latter is rotated by the movement of the door, substantially as set forth.

2. In a letter-box, the combination, with the body having an arched hood or cap constructed with a horizontal mail-opening, of a sliding door longitudinally bowed to conform to the shape of the hood, supported at its ends within the same, and provided at each end with a segmental rack, a rotatable cylindrical mail- WILLIAM F. ASKAM.

\Vitn esses:

G. SEYFFERT, R. W. BLAKEMAN. 

